IYA2009 Updates

Adventure Astronomy: Archaeoastronomy and Modern Astronomy Travel

26 November 2010

The focus of this Astronomy Tours is to learn more about Astronomy in cultures: yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's astronomy. 

The tours are accompanied by experts in their fields, including Prof. Clive Ruggles, chair of the IAU’s Working Group on Astronomy and World Heritage and co-author of the thematic study on the Heritage Sites of Astronomy and Archaeoastronomy. 

More information: http://www.eclipse-city.com/eclipse-city,astronomy-tours,11.html#FAculty

Beyond IYA2009 Updates

26 November 2010

Summary of International Year of Astronomy 2009 Released
The brochure, called the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Final Report Executive Summary, offers an overview of the many events that took place during the Year, as detailed in full in the 1450-page IYA2009 Final Report, which was released earlier this year. “Tens of thousands of events were held during IYA2009, but unfortunately there is only space in this Executive Summary to mention a small handful,” says Catherine Cesarsky, chair of the IYA2009 Working Group, and the IAU President for most of IYA2009. “We’ve included a diverse cross-section of events that are representative of the Year, but they should not be viewed as a ‘best of IYA2009’. We are grateful to everyone who took part in IYA2009 and we would like to say thank you to you all." The print-ready files and source files (Adobe InDesign file and images) are also available for IYA2009 stakeholders to adapt for use in their own reports.
The Executive Summary, print-ready files and source files are now available for download here:http://www.astronomy2009.org/summary/

Mexican IYA2009 SPoC, Silvia Torres-Peimbert, wins the L’Oréal-UNESCO Award for Women in Science
The L'Oréal-UNESCO prizes "For Women in Science" are awarded each year, successively in different fields of science, to five women scientists of the five
More information: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1099/
Congratulations Silvia!

Postcards from the Edge of the Universe: Book Review
Read the review by: Dave Reneke (News Editor: Astro-Space News; Writer/Publicist: Australasian Science Magazine): http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1098/

Book: Voyage to the Heart Of Matter
In this unique collaboration between CERN and renowned paper engineer Anton Radevsky, 7000 tonnes of metal, glass, plastic, cables and computer chips leap from the page in miniature pop up, to tell the story of CERN's quest to understand the birth of the universe.
More information: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1105/

Save the Dates: April 2011 is Global Astronomy Month
More information:http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1101/

Documentary: Mystery in the Sky
The documentary "Mystery in the Sky" about the Citizen Sky project was made so that many people may share in this experience. In this documentary the citizen scientists, project organizers and professional astronomers explain the importance of Citizen science and how amateur observations contribute to cutting edge scientific research.
More information: http://www.mysteryinthesky.com/

European Astronomical Society Newsletter
The December 2010 issue of the EAS Newsletter is available on the EAS Website: http://eas.unige.ch/newsletter/eas_newsletter-40.pdf
Includes reports from the JENAM2010 Astronomy EPO sessions (pages 11 -13).

Seasons without Borders 4: 21 December 2010
More information: http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/projects/seasons-without-borders/488.html

Cosmic Treasures: Online Observing Event with Virtual Telescope
Cosmic Treasures is an online event giving you a unique opportunity of experiencing Universe through the Virtual Telescope at Bellatrix Observatory in Italy.
More information: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1102/

John Dobson Inaugurates Living Legend Series: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1104/

World-map of Galileoscope distribution: http://www.astronomy2009.org/news/updates/1109/

Kalpaneya Yatre - Journey of Imaginations: a 10-day astronomy festival
The festival will take place  between 26 November - 5th December, 2010 in Bangalore, India. The festival is a collaboration between astrophysicists, artist-designers, science-educators, amateur astronomers and science communicators from Bangalore. More information: http://kalpaneyayatre.org/

World map of Galileoscope distribution

26 November 2010

As you mouse-over each country, it tells you the number of Galileoscopes distributed there. The data plots the 179,910 Galileoscopes we distributed to 105 countries as of the end of September 2010. 

Worldwide Distribution of Galileoscopes as of 1 October 2010
Country Kits
United States 100,704
Brazil 20,227
Norway 18,574
Canada 5,491
Spain 3,602
Italy 3,486
France 3,444
Denmark 3,076
Australia 2,494
Germany 2,270
Belgium 2,159
Sweden 1,874
Finland 1,248
Mexico 1,171
United Kingdom 1,059
Poland 977
Netherlands 695
Iceland 511
Chile 487
Jamaica 400
Venezuela 353
Slovakia 352
New Zealand 338
China 324
Uruguay 289
Estonia 287
Switzerland 253
Vietnam 250
Turkey 236
United Arab Emirates 233
Romania 203
Lebanon 200
Mauritius 200
Singapore 178
Trinidad and Tobago 177
South Africa 144
Ireland 108
India 106
Seychelles 102
Albania 100
Azerbaijan 100
Ghana 100
Nepal 100
Pakistan 100
Senegal 100
Hong Kong 99
Greece 86
Austria 78
Portugal 78
Bangladesh 75
South Korea 73
Luxembourg 64
Lietuva 49
Slovenia 43
Colombia 34
Malaysia 29
Israel 26
Latvija 24
Maldives 24
Philippines 22
Russia 21
Czech Republic 20
Japan 19
Indonesia 18
Argentina 16
Malta 12
Peru 11
Taiwan 11
Bolivia 10
Turkey 10
Saudi Arabia 9
Cyprus 8
Croatia 6
Hungary 5
Costa Rica 3
Ecuador 3
Oman 3
Paraguay 3
Tunisia 3
Cayman Islands 2
Jersey 2
Jordan 2
Morocco 2
Niger 2
Thailand 2
Ukraine 2
Afghanistan 1
Andorra 1
Barbados 1
Botswana 1
Brunei 1
Bulgaria 1
Cambodia 1
EI Salvador 1
Ethiopia 1
Grenada 1
Guatemala 1
Guernsey 1
Macedonia 1
Netherlands Antilles 1
Papua New Guinea 1
Qatar 1
Reunion 1
Serbia 1
Uganda 1
--------------------
Total 179,910 

Summary of International Year of Astronomy 2009 Released

26 November 2010

The brochure, called the International Year of Astronomy 2009 Final Report Executive Summary, offers an overview of the many events that took place during the Year, as detailed in full in the 1450-page IYA2009 Final Report, which was released earlier this year.

“Tens of thousands of events were held during IYA2009, but unfortunately there is only space in this Executive Summary to mention a small handful,” says Catherine Cesarsky, chair of the IYA2009 Working Group, and the IAU President for most of IYA2009. “We’ve included a diverse cross-section of events that are representative of the Year, but they should not be viewed as a ‘best of IYA2009’. We are grateful to everyone who took part in IYA2009 and we would like to say thank you to you all."

The print-ready files and source files (Adobe InDesign file and images) are also available for IYA2009 stakeholders to adapt for use in their own reports. 

Links

• The Executive Summary, print-ready files and source files are now available for download here:http://www.astronomy2009.org/summary/
• The IYA2009 Final Report can be downloaded in full here: http://www.astronomy2009.org/report/

Seasons without Borders 4

25 November 2010

21 December 2010
http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/projects/seasons-without-borders/488.html

When the Northern Hemisphere will experience their “shortest” day while the Southern Hemisphere will celebrate their “longest” day of the year, AWB invites astronomy groups around the world to join in with the 4th Seasons Without Borders event to celebrate solstice which will occur on December 21st, 2010, officially at 23:38 UTC. 

DVD Mystery in the Sky

25 November 2010

In a world that is ever more infused with the blessings and challenges of technology, it is essential that everyone has at least some understanding of the basic principles of science. Citizen science projects involve amateurs to gather research data. This offers a unique opportunity for people to enrich their lives by participating in hands-on science. 

The Citizen Sky project engages thousands of amateur astronomers world-wide to contribute their observations of a variable star in order to unveil its mysterious nature. There is nothing like such a hands-on experience to equip free-thinking people with the ability to make decisions that require a scientific understanding. 

The documentary "Mystery in the Sky" about the Citizen Sky project was made so that many people may share in this experience. In this documentary the citizen scientists, project organizers and professional astronomers explain the importance of Citizen science and how amateur observations contribute to cutting edge scientific research. 

More information: http://www.mysteryinthesky.com/

Cosmic Treasures: Online Observing Event with Virtual Telescope

24 November 2010

Date: December 1
Time: 22:00 UT
http://www.astronomerswithoutborders.org/projects/online-observing/495.html

Cosmic Treasures is an online event giving you a unique opportunity of experiencing Universe through the Virtual Telescope at Bellatrix Observatory in Italy. You will be able to see beautiful cosmic treasures of the Universe such as galaxies, nebulae and clusters of stars in real time, with live commentary by astrophysicist Dr. Gianluca Masi.
This is a free event and open to anyone. You can also chat with others online during the event, interact with the Dr. Masi in real time, or just watch and listen while exploring the Universe. Experience One People, One Sky as we share the sky together.

Postcards from the Edge of the Universe: Book Review

24 November 2010

Review by: Dave Reneke (News Editor: Astro-Space News; Writer/Publicist: Australasian Science Magazine)

Website: www.davidreneke.com 

Postcards from the Edge of the Universe 

Absolutely brilliant is the best way to start to describe this amazing project which ended up as this book you can sit back, read and enjoy from cover to cover. As a coffee table book it is also perfect…just to browse through during those introspective moments of 'cosmic reflection' we all go through from time to time. For the dedicated astro buff it's another collectable gem for the library.

From sunspots to black holes to extrasolar planets, stars and supernovae etc, Postcards from the Edge of the Universe takes the reader on a wondrous journey across the known universe using some of the best astronomical photographs I've ever seen in 40 years of writing about and teaching astronomy. You won't be disappointed with this work.

The talents of 24 frontline astronomers from around the world explain their science in a simple, yet poetic way, which allows the reader to become absorbed into their world as they explain the inner meaning of the images you see. This is today's science – cutting edge technology that delivers the feeling behind the image. The photographic reproductions are first rate and the text is easy to understand, even for the most inexperienced lay person. The overall quality of the hard cover book is equal to the best you'll see on any bookstand anywhere in the world. You can, of course, download the free PDF versions from the ESO website.

This book is based on a hand-picked selection of the best posts and science writing from the astronomy blog Cosmic Diary, one of the twelve Cornerstone projects of the International Year of Astronomy 2009 (IYA2009). There's something for everyone and what a  fitting way to pay tribute to the IYA which opened up a whole vista for people who had no prior knowledge or exposure to the wonders of the night sky.

Do yourself a favour and purchase or download this amazing book, but be prepared to spend at least a few hours with it first up. Like me, you won't put it down in a hurry. Congratulations to the authors, the photographers and to the ESO for bringing such a stunning work into the public domain. Oh, by the way, don't ask to borrow my copy – it's tucked away again for another rainy day. 

European Astronomical Society Newsletter

24 November 2010

The December 2010 issue of the EAS Newsletter is available on the EAS Website: http://eas.unige.ch/newsletter/eas_newsletter-40.pdf

Includes reports from the JENAM2010 Astronomy EPO sessions (pages 11 -13).

National Nodes: 148
Organisational Nodes: 40
Organisational Associates:33
National Websites: 111
Cornerstone Projects: 12
Special Task Groups: 11
Special Projects:16
Official Products:8
Media Partners:22

Global Sponsors

IYA2009 Patron